The defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at a special sitting of Newry Magistrates Court on Saturday December 22 and was charged in connection with the alleged incident.

A 20-year-old woman told PSNI officers that she had been dragged into a car near the Long Walk area of the town and taken to a house in the Newry area shortly after midnight on December 20. She managed to escape and raise the alarm around 2.30am.

It is understood the woman, who is Irish, was taken in the car to the Newry area on cross border minor roads and not on the motorway. She managed to escape after about two hours and went to a neighbouring house where the police were contacted.

Dundalk Gardai said they had received very good co-operation from people who witnessed the incident and heard the woman screaming as she was bundled into the car.

The suspect was arrested and taken to Newry court where he was charged with kidnapping and sexual assault at a location in Co Down on December 21 as well as having no insurance and driving while disqualified on the same date.

An application for bail was refused and the defendant was remanded in custody. He is due to appear again via videolink in court in Newry on Wednesday next.

A 25 year-old woman, believed to be the driver of the car, who was also arrested was released on bail.